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Rural Healthcare Workforce – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Healthcare Workforce.

Effects of Rural Hospital Closures on Nurse Staffing Levels and Health Care Utilization at Nearby Hospitals
Analyzes healthcare utilization and nurse staffing levels when nearby rural hospitals close. Utilizes 2014-2019 American Hospital Association Survey data to examine vocational nurse/licensed practical nurse (LPN), registered nurse (RN), and advanced practice nurse (APN) staffing levels as well as inpatient and outpatient surgical operations and emergency department (ED) visits within 4 years of a hospital closure.
Author(s): Jing Dong, Siying Liu, Asefeh Faraz Covelli, Guido Cataife
Citation: Health Economics, 33(12), 2687-2707
Date: 12/2024
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State of the Behavioral Health Workforce, 2024
Offers demographic and occupational data on the behavioral health workforce including current and projected shortages. Data sources include both 2022 and 2023. Offers comparisons of shortages between rural and urban counties. Discusses challenges driving workforce shortages.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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State of the Primary Care Workforce, 2024
Offers data on the current state and projected estimates of the future supply of physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants offering primary care. Includes demographics as well as current and projected shortages with comparison and metropolitan and nonmetropolitan projections. Discusses challenges impacting the workforce and the impact of primary care on population health. Includes state by state data on the primary care physician workforce.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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Clinician Distribution and Type in Rural and Urban Areas of the National Health Services Corps
A research letter that examines long-term trends of National Health Services Corp (NHSC) physician and non-physician clinician distribution in rural versus urban areas. Utilizes the 2000-2020 Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) NHSC Field Strength database to examine the percentage of NHSC primary care, mental health, and dental health clinicians practicing in rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Olesya Baker, Marcela Horvitz-Lennon, Hao Yu
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(11)
Date: 11/2024
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Supply and Geographic Distribution of Geriatric Physicians and Geriatric Nurse Practitioners
Results of a study to explore trends in the supply of geriatric physicians (GMDs) and geriatric nurse practitioners (GNPs) from 2010 to 2020, and disparities between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties. Features county-level maps showing geographic trends in older adults, GMDs, and GNPs among U.S. counties in 2010 and 2020, and statistics with breakdowns by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties.
Author(s): Ying Xue, Lusine Poghosyan, Qinyun Lin
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(11), e2444659
Date: 11/2024
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Physician Workforce: Projections, 2022-2037
Offers workforce projections for physician specialties, using data from the Health Resources and Service Administration's Health Workforce Simulation Model. Features statistics on projected supply of and demand for physicians in 2027, 2032, and 2037, projected adequacy of various physician specialties in 2037, and projected adequacy of physicians in metro and nonmetro areas in 2037.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: Bureau of Health Workforce
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Nurse Workforce Projections, 2022-2037
Offers nursing workforce projections, using historical data up to and including some data from 2022. Features statistics for projected supply and demand for selected nursing occupations in years 2027, 2032, and 2037, projected shortages of registered nurses (RNs) in these years with breakdowns by metro and nonmetro areas, and a list of 10 states with the largest projected shortages of RNs in 2037.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: Bureau of Health Workforce
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Influenza and COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Health Care Personnel — National Healthcare Safety Network, United States, 2023–24 Respiratory Virus Season
Reports on influenza and COVID-19 vaccination coverage among healthcare personnel working in acute care hospitals and nursing homes during the 2023-2024 respiratory virus season. Includes data by workplace location for rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Jeneita Bell, Lu Meng, Kira Barbre, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 73(43), 966-972
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Health Care Workforce: Key Issues, Challenges, and the Path Forward
Provides an overview of the supply and distribution of physicians, nurses, direct care workers, behavioral health workers, and oral healthcare providers. Describes persistent challenges related to the healthcare workforce, including supply and distribution of healthcare workers, especially in rural communities; racial and ethnic diversity; burnout; compensation; and administrative burden. Identifies opportunities to address these challenges and efforts supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to address these issues.
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Training Satisfaction and Future Employment Consideration Among Physician and Nursing Trainees at Rural Veterans Affairs Facilities in the United States During COVID-19: A Time-Series Before and After Study
Presents a study on the perceptions of trainee clinicians in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on the satisfaction they feel towards their training and future employment in rural and urban facilities and compares their answers before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Bases finding on a survey of physicians and nurses in rural and urban areas receiving training in a VA facility and compares responses from August, 2018 to July, 2021.
Author(s): Heather Northcraft, Tiffany Radcliff, Anne Reid Griffin, et al.
Citation: Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions, 21, 25
Date: 09/2024
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Last Updated: 12/2/2024